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[Chapter 101] [Even If You Mix Blood with Blood (11)]
It's not that he hadn't used his Gift until now.
Before the regression, his Gift was "Stygian Eye", but for some reason, it became a completely different Gift, so he researched it in various ways.
The nameless Gift, which Eunha himself named "Relife", as a result, he roughly understood what kind of power it possessed.
The Gift that could be activated when internal mana fell below a certain level could be controlled according to his will.
However, when internal mana dropped considerably, the Gift activated automatically.
At that time, the Gift suppressed his will and manifested the suppressed power as if following survival instinct.
My body feels lighter.
How nice it would be if it was always like this.
The increase in physical abilities soon led to an increase in healing abilities.
Eunha, whose minor wounds healed instantly, stepped on the blackened earth.
Before he knew it, the world was covered in flames, but there was no hesitation in his steps.
His steps were light.
Even standing on tiptoes, there was no strain on his body at all.
The sword in his hand felt like it had become one with him. The automatic pistol was also making its presence known, fully imbued with mana.
Eunha deflected the sword falling to the ground with his S-K5 automatic pistol and unraveled the illusion.
As the illusion disappeared, faintly glittering magic came into view.
Madness
Magic rushing towards him.
Eunha released all the mana he had infused into the Black Thorn Tree at once.
Thorns boasting power no less than the magic falling from the sky broke through the blade-like magic.
However, the creature's magic hadn't stopped yet.
Once again, clouds gathered in the night sky where the illusion had disappeared, creating a curtain of night, and countless blades glowing blue-green appeared.
D-do y-you t-think t-that's a-all?
N-now t-this w-world i-is m-my w-world.
The ground split and rocks shot up.
He who had been running on the road jumped into the air as the ground sank.
Seizing that moment, the blades floating in the night sky flew towards him.
It was difficult to move in the air.
Avoiding all the swords flying as if to skewer him was close to an art.
Pride's Counterattack, the magic that could deflect that attack, had already been used.
Skill No. 001
Violent Spirit
However, Eunha didn't panic.
It wasn't just the Gift he had been researching.
Every time he used Pride's Counterattack, he created magic to counter incoming magic by fully drawing on the residual sensation in his body.
He wasn't used to it yet.
However, the magic enhanced by "Relife" tore apart things flying at him, regardless of whether they were illusions or reality.
Unlike the original spirit, the violent spirit characterized by its rough appearance turned red and spat out the magic it had bitten.
Mana Drain
At the same time, he absorbed part of the magic that the violent spirit couldn't digest as internal mana.
This further extended the time he could activate his Gift.
And this meant that even if exposed to undigested magic, he wouldn't suffer much damage.
In fact, the magic that hit him didn't cause any wounds.
When he gently manifested mana, the magic stuck in his body dissolved into the air as mana.
The efficiency is still better than "Stygian Eye".
The ability to heal wounds has become even faster than before.
It felt like wings had grown on his back.
Eunha avoided attacks with light steps even when the smoldering flames became snakes trying to pounce on him.
Rather, when he used Mana Drain, the snakes became entangled on the Black Thorn Tree like a whirlpool.
Whether this was an illusion or reality didn't matter.
Either way, this would become a snake of fire.
If he thought so.
Invisible Tracker
Thousand Step
Single Point Breakthrough
The creature didn't come out of the illusion it had created.
Even if it appeared before his eyes, it would have disappeared like smoke just as before.
Therefore, Eunha activated the Invisible Tracker he had deployed in advance.
Any attack within his cognitive range should be able to reach with Invisible Tracker.
Even if the creature wasn't visible, if it was in a position he could grasp, it had entered his cognitive range.
In fact, the mana that surged from the Black Thorn Tree became a giant spear and was flying somewhere.
H-how...!
The illusion lifted.
The area he thought was a forest actually only had a few trees.
"Then shall we feel whether this is an illusion or not?"
Meanwhile, Eunha, who had pulled the Black Thorn Tree back to his left shoulder, spoke to the creature.
That is a lie!
The image of him swinging a sword imbued with flames was reflected in its two jewel-like angular eyes.
The creature raised its long tail, trying to block the sword imbued with illusory flames.
Just as the tip of its tail sparkled, the flames gathered on his sword gradually subsided.
The creature had withdrawn the illusion.
So what.
Eunha's eyes questioned back as he watched the Black Thorn Tree turn into a worthless wooden sword.
His eyes showed no doubt.
This sword wasn't a wooden sword.
It was the Black Thorn Tree made by Byeokhaesu.
And flames were wrapped around the sword.
Stygian Eye
If the creature's illusions materialize fantasies in the world we both perceive.
Therefore, if it requires mutual perception.
His fear was unprecedentedly violent and selfish.
His fear was inserting his perception into the opponent's consciousness.
Therefore, fear wasn't manifested in the world they both perceived, but only in the opponent's consciousness.
"Does this still look like an illusion to you?"
The Gift "Relife" further enhanced the effect of Stygian Eye.
Eunha, who had broken down the creature's mana resistance through continuous attacks, finally succeeded in injecting his fear into the creature's consciousness.
The illusion crumbled, and fear rose.
Even if they were both fictions.
Fear that becomes scary precisely because it doesn't actually exist overcame illusions that don't actually exist.
Kyaaaaaagh─!!
Surely in the creature's eyes, the sword he swung would appear to be imbued with flames.
The creature, its skin cut by non-existent flames, rolled on the ground as if burned.
Its appearance was miserable beyond compare.
Shall I give you more pain?
Eunha, who gently stepped on the creature's stomach, reflected his face in its jewel-like eyes.
Eyes emitting an ominous aura injected fear into the creature again.
Painfully just from having its foot stepped on.
Even scraping against the ground was stinging.
He tested how far Stygian Eye would work on a dying high-tier monster.
...Is this the limit?
The experiment ended not long after.
He couldn't completely collapse the creature's mental world.
No matter how much he tormented it, the creature ultimately didn't completely give up its consciousness.
It had a strong sense of self.
Judging that nothing would change even if he meddled with its consciousness further, Eunha bestowed death upon the creature.
After stabbing its eyes with his sword several times, the creature died all too easily.
Violent Venom
Eunha cleaned up the surrounding area before the effect of the Gift "Relife" ended.
He killed monsters caught in his detection network one after another.
Because when the Gift's effect ends, he would surely experience a decrease in abilities for a certain period proportional to the increase in abilities.
"Phew..."
By now, only Eunha was standing alone in the area that had become an open field.
As the sky gradually brightened, the scene he had created was revealed.
A world that could never be seen with a sane mind, where blood flowed again over dried blood.
Eunha, splattered with blood, calmly looked out at that scene.
It was too abnormal a scene to say one person had created it.
However, the fresh blood soaking the earth would surely be unfolding elsewhere too.
Hah... my whole body aches.
Too much blood was shed.
However, the one who caused that blood to be shed was all too nonchalant.
☆
He planned to leave after roughly gathering the things he needed to take.
By now, players sent from Wonju City Hall would be subjugating the monsters that had gathered near Ucheon Elementary School.
It was important to naturally blend into the group of students so as not to look suspicious to them.
I got something decent out of this.
Eunha, who had been stuffing magic stones into his bag as they came to hand, soon discovered a yellow jewel.
It was a skill stone that came from the 5th tier over-rank monster, Group Image Demon.
Besides that, one of the creature's eyes remained without disappearing, but it wasn't that useful.
Unlike the decorative jewel eye, the magic stone in not-so-good condition was more useful.
The skill stone had value combining both magic stone and trophy.
"...It seems I have an aptitude for it. Then I should eat this."
Eunha infused mana into the skill stone.
The skill stone flashed yellow light from within.
From the moment it came to hand, Eunha had intuited that the skill stone matched his aptitude.
It's a shame it's small, but it can't be helped.
This size should be able to be absorbed into his body in a day or two.
He who put the skill stone in his pocket now decided to leave.
He had erased traces of murder as much as possible, so the possibility of murder shouldn't enter into this incident.
Above all, the Fairy government wouldn't drive public opinion that way.
If they did, not only the player industry but also the Fairy government would be turned upside down.
It was wiser to use this incident as a stepping stone to reduce the power of those who had been problematic in the political and financial circles as much as possible.
Still, I should wash up a bit before going.
Eunha washed his face with water pooled in the rice paddy ridge on his way to Ucheon Elementary School.
His whole body was drenched in blood.
Like this, he could arouse suspicion.
So he scrubbed his face vigorously and covered himself with muddy water to prevent the smell of blood from his body.
As a result, his blood-stained school uniform soon became wet and covered in muddy water.
Finally, after checking his reflection in the water surface, he moved towards Ucheon Elementary School.
Security was tight.
However, there was no particular difficulty in entering Ucheon Elementary School through the players' guard.
It was because Jin Seona, who had detected his presence, sent telepathy just then.
[Don't come in through the main gate as is, come towards the direction where you can see a building that looks like a clock tower. There will be a wall with a hole in the bushes there. Come in that way.]
In fact, Eunha hesitated for a moment when he received the telepathy.
He had no idea how his friends would think about what happened while he was gone.
They must have noticed something.
Because he had warned them in advance not to be in danger.
Fortunately, no emotion was felt in Seona's telepathy.
It was no different from usual.
He optimistically thought so.
"Ah, Eunha."
"...Were you waiting here?"
"Seona said to come here."
However, assumptions are different from reality.
Eunha, who had crawled under the wall and entered Ucheon Elementary School, met Hayang standing in front of the hole, seemingly keeping watch.
Overnight, Hayang's face had become haggard.
She must have been exhausted from commanding the students.
She probably couldn't sleep either.
Yet she was smiling no differently than usual while waiting for him.
Yes, no different than usual.
"Did you resolve things well?"
"...Yeah."
"That's a relief. I was worried... because you weren't visible."
"Sorry for making you worry. I was worried about you guys too."
"Tch, says the person who disappeared so suddenly?"
Many people died.
Could one act no differently than usual in such a situation?
Eunha finally looked straight at Hayang's face.
Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes held sadness.
"...Eunha."
Hayang, who met his eyes, called him softly.
She hesitated after opening and closing her mouth several times as if to say something.
After repeating this several times, she finally spoke.
"...Eunha, did you know this would happen—"
"Who in the world would have known something like this would happen? Why do we have problems like this every time we have a final evaluation?"
"......"
What people in the world want to know isn't the truth.
It's lies disguised as truth.
People only see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.
Those living in a world that has been destroyed once no longer want to know harsh truths.
That's why lies become real, and illusions are materialized in this world.
Because the world was destroyed once.
People are living in illusions.
These were the words revealed by Yoo Dojun, the 2nd generation Twelve Seats, in an interview before the regression.
"...Yeah. I guess that's right?"
"That's how it is."
Eunha saw fear in Hayang's face.
She wanted to hear a negative answer, so her friend Eunha immediately gave a negative answer.
Both she and he.
She didn't want to know the truth, and he didn't want to reveal the truth.
Thus, an illusion was born in the world they both perceived.
"Everyone is gathered in the auditorium. I've already checked you off the list, so act like you joined in the middle."
"Okay, got it."
Hayang guided the way.
Eunha followed her without looking back, moving his feet.
His steps were heavy.
They had been so light just before.
It felt like the weight increased with each step.
—I'm sorry.
He inwardly murmured.
He realized through this incident.
That even though he had regressed, his emotions were still worn down.
That he couldn't empathize with others on important matters.
That's why sometimes he was acting out reactions others wanted to see.
Whether the other person was a friend or family.
He, lacking something, was truly no different from a monster.
He didn't want that to be discovered.
"Those people..."
"...Ah. They're the people who died this time."
While entering the auditorium.
Eunha saw players moving something on stretchers.
Inadvertently turning towards them, he could soon see what was behind the playground.
Corpses were strewn on the ground.
Human bodies, not monster bodies.
Unlike monsters that become mana and disappear the moment life ends, humans leave their physical bodies when they die.
Surely more monsters than those people died.
Nevertheless, the scene of human corpses lying in rows while monsters were nowhere to be seen only brought emptiness.
Ah...
Eunha discovered a familiar face among them.
The person lying at the edge was someone who had been in the same group as him.
Not just the same group.
They were in the same class last year too.
Come to think of it, he had been in the same class as 'him' for 2 years.
What was his name...
However, Eunha couldn't remember what 'his' name was.
He only remembered the title of 'president'.
Eunha looked down at him lying with his eyes closed quietly and then turned away.
"......"
It was all caused by himself.
It was what he had decided to accept.
He couldn't stop now.
He couldn't regret it either.
He had no intention of regretting from the start.
Just, only.
In his mind, he only thought, so that's how it is.
He really is broken somewhere.
...I have no intention of dying peacefully.
Therefore, he had only one thing to say to those who died.
He who volunteered to walk a thorny path abandoned the wish to die comfortably.
His death would probably be the most cruel and miserable in this world.
☆
On this day, the Mana Management Bureau of Wonju City released death statistics.
The results can be summarized as follows:
Players: 46
Academy Instructors: 4
Academy Students: 93
Total Deaths: 143
These statistics included 11 missing players and 20 missing academy students.
In response, the Player Academy announced that for the first
Accordingly, the Player Academy will additionally recruit the 031st class of the Secondary Academy for the first time in history.
He announced.
- Writer
